Chapter 397 The Emperor Behind Closed Doors
Zhu Lan and his party finally arrived in the capital safely under the escort of Xiao Qian's guards.
Gongsun Yushu was nervous but also a little expectant. "After we enter the city, should we go directly to the palace to see the emperor, or should we go to see the prince first?"
When Gongsun Yushu thought that he had the key evidence that could help the crown prince overthrow the third prince, and that the crown prince would definitely treat him as a guest of honor, he felt that everything seemed to be getting better.
When Xiao Qian heard that they were going to the Prince's Mansion, her eyes lit up.
"There's no rush yet."
Zhu Lan had already made arrangements in his mind. He first asked Zhu Qingyan to go to Yuxiang Pavilion to find Wang Defa and arrange accommodation for Xiao Qian, Gongsun Yushu and others, and then he went straight home.
She needs to confirm one thing first.
Xiao Wan should not be on duty at the government office today. When Zhu Lan returned home, Xiao Wan was indeed handling official business in her room.
There was another person there, it was Qin Yuwei.
Zhu Lan looked around but did not see Chu Xin.
"You're back?" When Xiao Wan and Qin Yuwei saw her, they quickly stood up and asked her if her journey was smooth.
Qin Yuwei's expression was obviously more anxious.
Zhu Lan closed the door, briefly described the situation on the road, and said to Qin Yuwei:
"I brought back the Prince of Ning'an. According to the clues he provided, there is nothing wrong with the Prince's background."
Qin Yuwei felt relieved and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhu Lan asked her again why she came out of the East Palace today. Usually she was in a hurry to come and go, but today Qin Yuwei didn't seem to be in a hurry to go back at all.
Qin Yuwei sighed helplessly, and said half with emotion and half with sarcasm:
"Ever since the incident with Chen's mother and daughter, the Crown Prince has been like a madman, in a trance all day long and not even attending court. He can only barely handle some government affairs in the East Palace.
I went to see him several times, but he always sat alone in the room in a daze. When he saw someone coming, he asked if the decree to depose the prince had been issued.
The entire East Palace is in a state of panic, so who cares if I am here or not? It is useless to stay idle in the inner courtyard, so I might as well come here and wait for you."
Qin Yuwei sat down again gracefully, holding her chin and said:
"But last time, an Uzbek envoy secretly came to see the prince, seemingly trying to persuade him to rebel, but he was sent to the Dali Temple. I was quite surprised."
Zhu Lan nodded, feeling that Yan Xiuyun was also pitiful. He had lived for more than 20 years, and for half of his life he was plagued by rumors about his life experience, and he didn't even know who he was. He was made the crown prince when he was born, and he had been pampered since he was a child, but now the sword was hanging over his neck. Today he was the crown prince, and maybe tomorrow he would be a commoner.
In this situation, it is not easy to avoid a mental breakdown.
Zhu Lan regained his composure and asked Xiao Wan:
"During the time I was away, was there anything unusual with Chu Xin?"
Xiao Wan shook her head slowly, "I've been keeping an eye on it, but I didn't notice anything unusual."
Xiao Wan said that Chu Xin was still the same as usual, going to the teahouse to tell stories every day and returning home at dinner time.
She also secretly asked someone to go to the teahouse to inquire about Chu Xin's whereabouts, but found nothing unusual.
"Are we worrying too much?" Xiao Wan asked.
Zhu Lan thought for a moment and said, "It's better to be cautious. Many things started with Chu Xiuning's death, and I first met Chu Xiuning because of Chu Xin. I can't help but think about this matter."
But there are more urgent things at the moment.
Zhu Lan asked: "Is there any movement at Prince Qi's Mansion?"
"I heard that Prince Qi is ill and has not attended court in the past few days. He stays in his mansion and refuses to see visitors." Xiao Wan replied.
Qin Yuwei seemed to remember something, "I heard news from the harem that Concubine Liang went to Wanzhong Temple to fast and worship Buddha for seven days to pray for Your Majesty. She has not shown up in the past few days."
"It's just as I expected." Zhu Lan said in a deep voice, "They have already left the capital and should be on their way to the northern border camp now."
Xiao Wan and Qin Yuwei both smelled something unusual.
"King Qi wants to rebel?"
Zhu Lan nodded and stood up.
"There is no time to lose. I will go to the palace to see the emperor immediately.
Yuwei, go back first and tell the Crown Prince about the Ning Anbo Prince's affairs, so that he can rest assured and not let anything go wrong at this critical moment."
"Okay." Qin Yuwei put on her hat and left immediately.
…
Half an hour later, Zhu Lan arrived outside the palace gate, but was surprised to find that he was not the only one coming to see the emperor.
Several officials from the six ministries were also standing there, talking to each other, with worried looks on their faces.
"It's fine that the Crown Prince and Prince Qi have stayed indoors, but now His Majesty won't see us either... What the hell is going on here!"
An official from the Ministry of Justice followed up with, "Who said it wasn't true? Several death row prisoners have been brought to the Ministry of Justice, but we can't execute them unless Your Majesty makes the decision!"
"It's okay to behead the condemned prisoners later!" An official from the Ministry of Works shook the memorial in his hand, worried: "There was an earthquake in Qingzhou, and I have several thousand taels of silver for repairs waiting for the emperor's approval. This is extremely urgent!"
"My Lords, why are you all gathered here?" Zhu Lan stepped forward, bowed to everyone and asked.
"Oh, it's Zhu Xiuzhuan."
Those officials also bowed to her and couldn't help complaining. Zhu Lan then learned that Emperor Liang had not attended court for several days.
A few days ago, he was still meeting with court officials in his study, but these past few days he has disappeared.
The Crown Prince and Prince Qi had their own reasons for staying indoors. But Emperor Liang... Zhu Lan really didn't dare to make a conclusion. After all, his majesty was old and in poor health. Maybe he was really seriously ill.
Her brows were deeply furrowed, and she couldn't help feeling a little anxious.
He had gone through so much trouble just to protect the Crown Prince and the Eastern Palace. He had anticipated Prince Qi's rebellion, and had asked Ding Wangyuan to make arrangements so that there wouldn't be any major chaos for the time being.
But no matter how high Ding Wangyuan's position was, he was only a prefect. Once the Prince of Zhenbei rebelled, with many of the Third Prince's confidants in the court as his internal supporters, Ding Wangyuan would not be able to delay for too long. For such a big matter, Emperor Liang himself had to make the decision and make the arrangements.
Now is the time to race against time. If we can't see Emperor Liang within three days, I'm afraid many things will be too late. Once the Prince of Zhenbei and the Prince of Qi join forces and really march into the capital to force Emperor Liang to abdicate...
If Prince Qi ascends the throne, not to mention the people in the Eastern Palace who are waiting, Qingyan and I will also die without a burial place!
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